Despite the chilly conditions and Bedewell Park resembling a mud-bath in places, everyone played their part, with Tyne Bridge finishing 6th in the Senior Ladies race and 1st in the Senior Men’s race.

It was particularly pleasing to see so many men competing and making a contribution to the team victory. As previously mentioned, even if a member doesn’t finish as a counter, they can still have an influence by denying opposition teams valuable points.

“Another fantastic turnout from TBH with 34 men and 14 ladies taking part in pretty clarty conditions yesterday. We still top the men’s and ladies league tables so are in a great position going into the last 2 races. Please try to make an effort to turn out in at least one of the last 2 events, as has been said before, every single place helps the team.”

David Appleby

The next fixture is on Saturday, 28th February, at Alnwick.

Mini race report by DD

It’s often said the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.

That may explain why I keep doing cross-country and expect to be dry, clean and warm at the end of a race.

I went over to Bedewell Park safe in the knowledge it couldn’t possibly be as bad as the horrors endured at Pontefract a week earlier [for the Northern X-C Champs]. Happy thoughts filled my mind of having a gentle run around the park before a nice leisurely stroll home in time for my tea.

The reality was somewhat different. It felt like minus 5 thanks a brisk Northerly wind, the course was just as clarty as Pontefract, and to make matters worse, there was even a hill to climb. Okay, maybe ‘hill’ is a slight exaggeration, but it was still an ascent. The only saving grace was I had to run [just under] six miles as opposed to the eight at the Northerns.

After the briefest of warm-ups it was time to race, and my first concern came when taking my place in ‘Medium Pack’. It’d been a few years since running from the Medium’s and I’d forgotten how small the field was (compared to the slow pack) and tagging along at the back meant running 6’20 pace for the first mile. Thankfully[!] the pace became more manageable as we hit the stickier sections of the course and my next concern was not falling head over arse, especially as large groups of spectators had formed around the dodgier parts of the course. It’s one thing to come a cropper but the last thing you want to do is become a laughing stock in front of a crowd. Luckily I managed to stay on my feet for the duration.

After what seemed an age, I eventually reached the final corner and made a bee-line for the finishing line. This, however, was to be the final sting in the tail as the finishing straight was absolutely drenched and ensured I finished both muddy and wet.

Walking home a short time later, with hardening mud forming a close bond with the inside of my trackie bottoms, I asked myself, ‘why oh why do I put myself through this?.’ There’s little or no enjoyment during the race, you feel uncomfortable as hell afterwards and you spend an hour or so cleaning yourself (and your kit) when you get home. But then I looked at the race results and saw TBH still with a chance of winning the title. This is why I do it. To help the club win something and to become a winner myself.

If the club win’s either of the competitions – men’s or women’s – (and it’s a big if judging by Saturday’s competition), it won’t be down to the same 3 or 4 runners who pick up the team prizes, it’ll be a group effort by the whole club, and that to me would make it all the more special.